SC Seeks Bids for Historic Lighthouse

Bids are being invited for cleaning and recoating work on South Carolina’s Hunting Island Lighthouse, one of the state’s most distinctive landmarks.

The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism will open proposals Sept. 25 for the work, which involves cleaning and coating interior cast-iron elements at the 137-year-old structure.

Bill Fitzpatrick / Wikimedia Commons

Hunting Island Lighthouse is the only publicly accessible lighthouse in South Carolina.

Built in 1859 and reconstructed in 1875, the historic lighthouse is the only one in the state that is publicly accessible. From the top of the 130-foot structure, visitors can view the Atlantic Ocean, beaches and surrounding semi-tropical maritime forest.

The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Moving History

One of the lighthouse’s most innovative features was its construction from interchangeable cast-iron sections so it could be dismantled should it require relocation, according to the Parks Department.

And as fate would have it, severe beach erosion made it necessary to move the lighthouse some 1.3 miles inland in 1889.

The lighthouse was closed for repairs in May 2003 when cracks were discovered in several of its 175 cast-iron steps, the Parks Department said.

During the 18-month-plus renovation, construction crews not only repaired the cracks but installed steel braces beneath them for reinforcement.

Left unpainted, the silver-gray braces stand out in sharp contrast to the black cast-iron stairs, which helps to distinguish the original structure from the modern enhancements.